Particleboard is a generic term for a panel-like material manufactured from lignocellulosic materials, preferably wood, primarily in the form of discrete pieces or particles, as distinguished from fibers. The discrete particles are bonded together preferably with a synthetic resin or other suitable binder under heat and pressure in a hot press. Such procedures produce an interparticle bond in which the binder, or glue, bonds together the discrete lignocellulosic particles. Particleboards can be pressed into their final form by extrusion or through the use of multi-platen, hot press devices. See generally, the discussion found at ASTM D 1554-78, American National Standard, "Standard Definitions of Terms Relating to Wood-Based Fiber and Particle Bound Materials"; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,361,612; 4,122,236 and 3,578,523 which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Conventional three-quarter inch particleboard panels typically have the following properties.
______________________________________ density 46.2.sup.lb /ft.sup.3 modulus of rupture 2685 psi modulus of elasticity 500,081 psi ______________________________________
Although such boards are satisfactory for many applications, there is a current need for a particleboard having a higher modulus of rupture for specific end-use applications, such as furniture manufacturing and flooring. Such high strength particleboard ideally would retain about the same density as conventional products in order to meet current engineering and weight requirements for these industries.